C.J. Stroud Eyes Texans Contract Extension, Says He's 'Crushed' by NFL Playoff Loss

C.J. Stroud has had an up-and-down NFL tenure so far, but he's hoping he's done enough to earn the trust of the Houston Texans.

Stroud said Monday that he hopes to stay with Houston long term and added that he was "crushed" by the Texans' divisional round loss to the New England Patriots.

"I want to be here for as long as I can. I love the city of Houston," he said. "It really hurts me. I wish it didn't go that way. My intent was to go out there and ball."

Stroud seemed destined for greatness after a strong Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023, in which he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, but he's regressed in each of the last two years. In 2025, Stroud threw for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 games.

Stroud has led Houston to the divisional round in three consecutive seasons, something the Texans had never done before his arrival, but he hasn't been able to get over the hump of leading them to the AFC title game.

He had one of the worst performances of his career in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, throwing for 212 yards on 20-of-47 passing with a touchdown and four interceptions—all of which came in the first half.

▶️ Full Texans-Patriots Recap

05:29

"I look back and I feel like I let people down," Stroud said after the game. "I'm not happy with that. It hurts. I'm not naive to it. I didn't play my best this year, but I'm gonna respond. I'm gonna keep my chin up high and I'm just gonna keep dialing forward."

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans voiced his support for Stroud even after a forgetful night.

"C.J. is our guy," Ryans told reporters. "I believed that he could come back out in the second half and flip it. I believed that he could play better. And he did that in the second half, he did play better. We had some positive drives in the second half. I believed that he would do that and he did that. As I always tell our guys at halftime, it doesn't matter what happened in the first half. You have to flush it, remove it, and you just have to go out and finish the right way."

Stroud, 24, is still on his rookie contract and is under club control through next season, though Houston also has a club option for the 2027 season. It's safe to say the 2026 campaign will be a pivotal one for Stroud.